We pick Paul: Editorial Board endorses Texas congressman

On Tuesday, Jan. 31, voters will flock to the polls to
distribute Florida's 50 delegates among the four contenders left in
the Republican presidential primary. If you plan to vote in the
primary, the Editorial Board of the Alligator encourages you to
place your vote for Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

Paul is an unconventional candidate who does not fit the standard
Republican mold — and that's why we like him. Unlike his 2008 bid
for the White House, his campaign has been on the offensive. Rather
than going after his competitors over non-issues like extramarital
affairs, he has been attacking the other candidates for their
inconsistency and lack of commitment to serious ideas.

Paul puts winning the nomination second to the proliferation of his
ideas - ideas that would never even have been discussed by the
media four years ago. Who would ever think that a top contender for
the White House would be talking about ending the Federal Reserve
or the war on drugs?

His ideas are why we believe he is an attractive candidate to
college students of all political persuasions. Unlike the other
Republican candidates, Paul believes in a non-interventionist
foreign policy. It was surprising to see him booed the other night
in the South Carolina debate when he said we should take a "Golden
Rule" approach to our foreign affairs.

It's not anti-American, as other candidates have claimed, to
evaluate our foreign policy and its influence on the way people
behave in the Middle East. Looking at cause and effect and critical
thinking should be appreciated by anyone pursuing a college
degree.

Paul is the only candidate for president, including President
Barack Obama, who has questioned the effectiveness of the war on
drugs. While some have painted Paul as an advocate for drug use,
his opposition comes from two main factors. First, he believes the
government does not have the right to tell us what we can and
cannot put into our own bodies. Second, he believes drug
prohibition has perpetuated the spread of drugs and the crime
associated with it, similar to the prohibition of the 1920s. It is
not "soft on crime" to look at the causes of many criminal
actions.

Finally, for college students who have grown up in the post-9/11
era, Paul is the only candidate concerned about the growing
infringement of our civil liberties. Even President Obama recently
signed the National Defense Authorization Act, a bill that could
lead to the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens. He also signed
an extension of the Patriot Act.

You may not agree with Ron Paul on many issues, but for
college-aged voters in the Florida Republican primary, Paul should
be your choice.